The bedding business has been pulling the wool over consumers’ eyes by perpetuating the myth that higher thread count automatically means softer, more luxurious sheets.
Those in the know report that thread count is only one element to consider when selecting the kind of top-quality linens that make going to bed something to look forward to. Of equal importance is the quality of cotton and the finishing processes.
Fine cotton like the world’s oldest variety, Egyptian, or its American spin-off, Pima, lends itself to higher thread counts. The effect is never as lush with high-thread-count cotton blends.
What’s more, 500 is generally the thread-count limit for fine cotton unless it has been blended with other types of yarn, according to the luxury bedding company Yves Delorme. That company further advises people to “be aware that the type of cotton presents another area in which labels can be misleading – some may say Egyptian cotton but in fact may contain only 1 percent.” Sateen is cotton blended with another fabric (usually satin) for softness. Sateen is not necessarily more durable or of higher quality. Ditto for percale, which is what hotels often use because of its crisp appearance.
In general, natural fibers are the most comfortable for sleeping.
The palette of the well-dressed bedroom falls in line with the home furnishing industry’s fashion-influenced trends. Chocolate brown is hot right now, according to Betsy Wielechowski at the Brass Bed Fine Linens & Furnishings, along with slate blue and avocado or grassy green. “Browns are so warm, and the blue sets them off,” she says.
Embroidered embellishments are big in bedding, too, along with Chinoiserie references.
So how does one make a nice bed even better? The headboard is point one for bedroom luxury and style. This single statement-making piece sets the tone – these days, roughly finished wood for a French Country bedroom, antique or iron headboards for eclectic, country home style, dark-finished wood for contemporary rooms and padded fabric headboards for modernists.
The quickest, easiest way to change a bed’s look is with a new set of sheets.
“We try to get people to spend the money on good sheets,” Wielechowski says. “You sleep on those, and you only look at everything else.”
Bedroom perfectionists select an eye-catching quilt to layer over their sheets, then fold a color-coordinated duvet at the end of the bed for texture, and quick, easy use during naps. Throw pillows are pretty, but experts advice against using bunches of them if their only purpose is to create nonfunctional clutter.
